Norwegian film The Drama starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson about a couple’s wedding crisis after a shocking secret
Consensus Summary
The Drama is a Norwegian film directed by Kristoffer Borgli and starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, centered on a seemingly perfect couple whose wedding is derailed by a shocking revelation. Emma, played by Zendaya, confesses to her fiance Charlie that as a teenager she planned a high-school shooting but never carried it out, a secret that sends their relationship into turmoil. The film blends dark comedy with psychological tension, exploring themes of trust, redemption, and the consequences of hidden pasts. While the premise sparks controversy—particularly around its portrayal of gun violence and a female character in a rare demographic—the articles agree on its provocative tone and the emotional fallout of Emma’s confession. The film’s flashbacks to Emma’s troubled youth, including her handling of a rifle and exposure to gun culture, are criticized by some for being clumsy or offensive, though others praise its surrealist style and performances. The ending, where the couple tentatively reconnects, is described variously as cynical, empathetic, or surprisingly cheesy, reflecting differing interpretations of its intent.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The film is directed by Kristoffer Borgli and produced by A24
- Zendaya plays Emma, a 30-year-old woman who reveals she planned a high-school shooting as a teenager but did not carry it out
- Robert Pattinson plays Charlie, Emma’s fiance who reacts with disbelief and distress to her revelation
- The secret is revealed during a game of ‘what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done’ with their friends Rachel (Alana Haim) and Mike (Mamoudou Athie)
- Emma’s partial deafness is revealed to be caused by accidentally damaging her eardrum while handling her father’s rifle
- The film’s release date is April 2024 (mentioned as ‘April 2’ in ABC and implied in Guardian)
- The film’s premise involves a female character planning a mass shooting, a rare demographic in real-life statistics
- The film’s title and premise were widely discussed online before its release, including on Reddit and TMZ
- The film’s flashbacks include a young Emma (played by Jordyn Curet) in Louisiana with a rifle and gangsta rap posters in her room
- The film’s wedding scene is described as a chaotic, emotionally charged climax
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The film is described as a ‘Euro-satire of American bourgeois aspiration’ inspired by Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure and Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen
- The film’s sound design and score are noted for their ‘weird, eerie ambient noises’ and ‘dissonant woodwind figures’
- The film’s ending is criticized for ‘losing its nerve’ and being ‘slightly unsubtle’
- The film is compared to Bret Easton Ellis’ writing style for its ‘exquisitely horrible, cynical reason’ for Emma’s failed shooting plan
- The film’s flashbacks to Emma’s past are described as ‘clumsy’ and ‘borderline offensive’ due to gangsta rap imagery
- The film’s tone is described as a ‘provocation, a jeu d’ésprit of outrage’
- The film’s ending suggests Emma and Charlie ‘tentatively resume their old role-play game’ with the line ‘can we start over?’
- The film’s premise was pitched as a ‘tart romantic comedy’ with a ‘psychological unraveling with a surrealist touch’
- The film’s release was preceded by a fake wedding announcement in the Boston Globe featuring Zendaya and Pattinson
- Zendaya’s press tour included dressing in progressively darker wedding attire to foreshadow the film’s dark turn
- The film’s plot is described as ‘ahistorical to a distracting degree’ for its portrayal of gun violence
- The film’s flashbacks to Emma’s youth are criticized for ‘clumsy’ and ‘borderline offensive’ gangsta rap imagery
- The film’s ending is described as ‘bleak comedy’ with Charlie ‘stumbling toward transgressing against Emma’
- The film’s engagement with gun culture is framed as a ‘knowing transgression’ to provoke discussion
- The film’s reaction to gun violence is compared to real-life responses from survivors like Tom Mauser (Columbine victim’s parent) and Mia Tretta (survivor of a 2019 shooting)
- The film’s ending is described as ‘grimly magnetic’ with ‘spilt secrets and bubbling rage’
- The film’s resolution is criticized for being ‘cynical’ as Emma ‘finds her way through gun safety activism’ after another shooting
- The film is described as ‘a wildly unpredictable new A24 film’ that ‘tangles with modern love in darkly funny ways’
- The film’s premise is compared to ‘the kind of dramatic adult thriller Hollywood used to make in the 80s and 90s’
- The film’s opening meet-cute is described as ‘stacked with layers of deceit’ with Charlie Googling Emma’s book
- The film’s tone is described as ‘a perfect date movie’ with ‘psychologically intense’ and ‘comic’ elements
- The film’s ending is described as ‘unusually cheesy’ and ‘oddly empathetic’
- The film’s flashbacks are described as ‘hallucinatory’ with ‘juiced editing’ and a ‘70s psycho-drama score’
- The film’s critique of personal branding and social capital is highlighted as a key theme
- The film’s portrayal of race and violence is described as ‘clichéd’ and ‘irresponsible’
- The film’s ending is described as ‘surprising’ and ‘not any place an audience might imagine’
- The film’s Ingmar Bergman poster in Emma and Charlie’s home is noted as a clue to its psychological intensity
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- Guardian Article 1 says Emma’s revelation is ‘exquisitely horrible, cynical reason’ for backing out, while Guardian Article 2 describes it as ‘narcissistically finding her way through gun safety activism’
- Guardian Article 2 states the film’s flashbacks to Emma’s youth are ‘clumsy and borderline offensive,’ but ABC describes them as ‘hallucinatory’ and ‘juiced by editing’ without criticizing their execution
- Guardian Article 2 criticizes the film’s ending as ‘bleak comedy’ and ‘cynical,’ while ABC calls it ‘unusually cheesy’ and ‘oddly empathetic’
- Guardian Article 1 says the film’s ending ‘loses its nerve,’ but ABC describes it as ‘surprising’ and ‘not any place an audience might imagine’
- Guardian Article 2 mentions the film’s engagement with gun culture is ‘ahistorical to a distracting degree,’ while ABC does not explicitly criticize its historical accuracy
Source Articles
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